This post is by Bill and Denise Richard, parents of Martin Richard, the 8-year-old who was tragically killed when the second of two bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013.
Martin Richard holds up a sign he made that reads, “No more hurting people. Peace.”
“No more hurting people. Peace.”
We hope our son’s life is able to live on in those words.
Each day, we are all faced with a series of choices that define who we are and who we will ultimately become. You can choose to live in the past or look forward to the future. You can choose to be apathetic or you can be someone who embraces peace and kindness. At a very young age, our son Martin was able to recognize the importance of kindness, togetherness and inclusion and that he could make a difference through these qualities.
Like most 8-year-old kids, Martin had a strong love for things like sports and friendships and cared very much about making others feel included and being kind to everyone, whether it was his friends, classmates or even strangers. He would make sure we carried extra snacks whenever we went downtown, just in case we came across people who might be in need of food.
We lost Martin on April 15, 2013, when the second of two bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. In the days after the bombings, a photo circulated of Martin holding a poster he made that said “No more hurting people. Peace,” and an amazing thing happened. We heard stories from children of all ages who were inspired by Martin to act in ways that helped others… some friends, some classmates and some strangers. No more hurting people, peace.
Martin was known as a peacemaker, he brought people together and helped to show his peers that you don’t have to be a grown up to make a difference. Kids are natural bridge builders – on the playground, at the lunch table, in the classroom – and all of their simple acts of kindness can add up to make a big difference.
Our family founded The Martin Richard Foundation to amplify those small actions, to honor our son’s message of peace, and to make the world a better place. But we can’t do it alone. That is why we have joined with generationOn, the youth division of Points of Light, and Hasbro, Inc. to create the Martin Richard Bridge Builder campaign to empower youth to make positive change through service. Our goal is to give kids a chance to learn about ways they can make a difference and share their stories to inspire others to do the same.
Whether it’s doing a volunteer project like planting a peace garden at a local school, creating a peace poster or simply inviting someone new to sit at your school lunch table, there are many easy ways to get involved and help change the world.
We invite all kids, teens and families to join us in our movement to magnify this message by sharing your own acts of kindness using #NoMoreHurtingPeople or by visiting generationOn.org/peace.
The story of the future is yet to be written, and we have the opportunity to choose the words and actions that will tell that story. We hope our son’s life is able to live on in those words. We hope you choose kindness.
Before KidKnits, prospects weren’t good for a Rwandan woman named Catherine.
Widowed in the 1994 Rwanda genocide, the young mother suffered from HIV. Though the Rwandan government provided medicine to treat the condition, she couldn’t take it without food, and she couldn’t afford much food.
“A lot of people there only eat every two to three days. Pay for a full day’s work might be a cucumber or a potato,” said Ellie Zika, 14, who was 9 years old when she founded KidKnits, a not-for-profit company that sells knitting kits and yarn. She is the daughter of Steve and Kristin Zika of Peoria.
Today, Catherine spins yarn for KidKnits. She makes about $55 a month, an above-average salary for most Rwandans.
This Teen Will Paint Your Pet to Save Other Animals’ Lives
This post is by Annie Blumenfeld, a 17-year-old from Connecticut and founder of Wags 4 Hope, an organization that supports animal shelters and rescue groups.
One day after coming home from a soccer tournament, my mom told me that she wanted to get a new dog. I was ecstatic.
Wags 4 Hope painting by Annie Blumenfeld
It wasn’t a simple love story at first.
Although our new dog, Teddy, looked dazzling when he arrived to our home, he had heartworm disease – a disease that is transmitted from an infected mosquito, which produces larva that grows in the dog’s heart, lungs and surrounding blood vessels.
Teddy was in a cage for more than a month after being treated. After hearing more about his back story, I went online to research heartworm disease.
Being 14 at the time, I had heard of issues in the animal-welfare world, ranging from “adopt, don’t shop” to animal testing, but was unfamiliar with the disease.
I learned from Teddy’s amazing rescuer, Kathy Wetmore of the Houston-based Shaggy Dog Rescue, that heartworm disease runs rampant in shelters in Texas.
I discovered that animals with heartworm disease are often euthanized, due to the cost of the treatment (ranging from about $600 for a small dog to $2,000 for a larger dog) and the amount of time it takes to treat these animals (anywhere from a month to four months depending on the severity).
Wags 4 Hope painting by Annie Blumenfeld
A few days after Teddy’s rescue, a sheepdog painting that I did was selected for a local art show. As I walked into the display room, there were a few people around my painting.
One nice lady approached me and asked if I was the artist. She told me that she wanted to buy the painting and then her friend asked if I painted other dogs. On the car ride home, Wags 4 Hope was formed.
My organization, Wags 4 Hope, works to support shelter animals’ medical needs and spread heartworm disease awareness. I sell custom dog and cat portraits and give all of the proceeds to shelters and rescue groups.
For more than a year, I worked with the Connecticut Department of Agriculture, sharing my story and advocating for a change to be made on the dog license: I wanted a heartworm disease educational message to be featured on it. I believed this would be such an incredible channel to bring awareness to pet owners across the state.
I’m happy to say that the Connecticut dog license now includes a heartworm message! The state agriculture department ordered 100,000 copies, which are available in vet offices, town halls and online statewide.
If you are a part of an animal advocacy group, or if you can write a letter to your state representative after hearing about this idea, please do so. Imagine how many dogs could be saved from having this disease by having this change done in your state.
Saluting Barbara Bush and the Points of Light Fighting to End Illiteracy
This post is by Tracy Hoover, Points of Light’s CEO.
Tracy Hoover
Former First Lady Barbara Bush “vowed to make a difference every single day,” as granddaughter and TODAY show correspondent Jenna Bush Hager told viewers this morning. Here at Points of Light, we see the difference Mrs. Bush continues to make, inspiring others every day. And in honor of her 90
th
birthday, we’d like to celebrate her commitment to literacy by recognizing three Daily Point of Light award winners who – in their own powerful ways – are taking action to spread the joy of reading.
Daily Point of Light awardee #5429 Cara McCollum created the Birthday Book Project, providing books as birthday presents to kids who otherwise might not have books at home. Today, she has delivered more than 25,000 books to children in New Jersey and Arkansas.
In Houston, Daily Point of Light awardees #5086 Sandra Ahlhorn and Amy Barnes learned about “summer slide” – the loss of learning that can result during the summer, especially when there aren’t books in the home. In 2012, they created
. Since then, they’ve distributed more than 400,000 books to children in Houston schools.
When Mrs. Bush presented the Houston award, alongside her son and Points of Light Chairman Neil Bush, she thanked the awardees “for making a true difference in the lives of children.” She added: “Amy and Sandra are perfect examples of George’s vision.”
, Mrs. Bush continues to bring a tenacious focus and commitment to giving young children the resources they need to develop a love of reading and providing parents with a second chance to acquire the literacy skills they need for a promising future. The program supports more than 900 family literacy programs across the nation. In honor of Mrs. Bush’s birthday more than $17 million has been raised, including a first-ever
.
So today, we salute Mrs. Bush and all of the points of light who are helping to create a constellation of change agents and the momentum that’s needed to wipe out illiteracy and solve this problem as Mrs. Bush envisions, “one child, one family at a time.”
Are you feeling inspired? Send a
When I was a young girl, I remember meeting a woman at my church who walked with a severe limp. After speaking with her one morning, I turned to my mom and asked, “Why is it so hard for her to walk?”
She replied quietly, and with a heavy heart, “She had polio, sweetie. Walking will always be difficult for her.” As I watched her painfully walk away, I remember thinking, “What’s polio?”
At the beginning of this school year, I was sharing this story with my third graders. We were discussing the difference between my vast vocabulary and the words they have learned in their eight short years on earth. The intent was to teach them about words and their meanings. Semantics.
The lesson brought so much more. My students reacted emotionally. “So, polio is kinda like cancer, Mrs. Hayes?” asked one of my boys. A conversation about the definition of cancer, its effects on people and the many ways it has invaded each one of their hearts followed. I was flabbergasted. Is cancer that prevalent?
One of the many wonderful qualities of a child is his ability to see the world’s problems as easily fixable. Cancer, to them, could be eradicated if “a really smart scientist makes a medicine to cure it.” This naive, genuinely honest, simple approach is what led to a fundraising effort to help children in a local hospital.
Last September, students at Walkerton Elementary School came together to raise money for the Memorial Hospital Children’s Oncology Department. Several resources were utilized to immerse the children in cancer education.
There were statistics shared, guest speakers invited and mini-lessons prepared for a weeklong initiative to raise awareness and funds. The results were astounding! The goal for the week: $500. It was surpassed on Tuesday. Children were bringing their piggy banks, birthday money and quarters from the Tooth Fairy to help children afflicted with cancer.
They were emotionally invested. Why? They felt that a child with cancer didn’t have a childhood. They wanted those kids to be kids.
Their efforts culminated on Friday with a grand total of $2,051.69. One week. In five days, these children felt the triumph of helping others. They were educated about a devastating topic, inspired to find a way to assist those in need and worked hard to provide funding that will help solve the problem.
The efforts of these students, both individually and collectively, are commendable. Through serving others, they were able to see the gift of wellness.
As I think about those ill children who are courageously fighting cancer, I am reminded of the woman from my childhood. Thanks to medical breakthroughs and effective research, we are no longer threatened with an epidemic of polio.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if, one day in the near future, a child who hears the word cancer could look up to her mother and ask, “What’s that?” With a smile and a joyous heart, she will reply,” Something we no longer need to worry about, sweetie.”
Are you a teacher looking to teach your students about volunteer service? Check out resources and lesson plans from generationOn, Points of Light’s youth division. (This post originally appeared on the generationOn blog.)
See How These Volunteers Won $10,000 Grants Making a Difference and How You Can, Too
Odessa Willis was at home Aug. 11 when record rain fell on Metro Detroit.
“It came in like a roaring river,” Willis recalls. “There was 3 1/2 feet of water in my basement.”
Odessa Willis stands in her Detroit home’s basement, which All Hands Volunteers cleaned after significant flooding.
Willis found help in the nonprofit group All Hands Volunteers, which responds to natural disasters. Volunteers pulled out carpeting, paneling, furnishings and other flood-damaged items at Willis’ home.
On Make A Difference Day, the group worked on four Detroit homes and to date has gutted 401 houses damaged by the floods. On Wednesday in Washington, D.C., volunteers from All Hands Volunteers and other community groups – selected from thousands of entrants – will be honored for their 2014 Make A Difference Day projects.
On the fourth Saturday of October, millions of volunteers across the nation unite to improve the lives of others. In its 24th year, Make A Difference Day is a USA TODAY initiative, backed by the Gannett Company, in collaboration with Points of Light.
Isaac McFarland, of Shreveport, Louisiana, filled backpacks with nonperishable food and hygiene items for people in need.
Newman’s Own awards $10,000 grants to the organizers of 13 of the winning projects – 10 created by community members and three by local governments. And the Gannett Foundation gives a $10,000 all-star grant to a past winner that has demonstrated excellence in volunteerism during the most recent Make A Difference Day.
Learn about the 14 winners of 2014 below and see how you can get involved during Make A Difference Day 2015 at www.makeadifferenceday.com.
Isaac McFarland – Shreveport, Louisiana: The high school senior started a project to assemble backpacks filled with nonperishable food and hygiene items for people in need. On Make A Difference Day, he distributed more than 3,000 of the backpacks to the Caddo School District’s department for homeless students and to homeless shelters and rescue missions aiding families and veterans. Full story >
Cheerful Givers volunteers in Eagan, Minnesota, assemble bags of toys, books and other items for low-income parents to give to their children on their birthdays.
Cheerful Givers – Eagan, Minnesota: The organization assembles bags of toys, books and other items for low-income parents to give to their children on their birthdays. On Make A Difference Day, about 160 volunteers assembled 3,000 birthday bags. The organization raised $3,100 to purchase bags and items, and had books, bookmarks, crayons and pens donated from a variety of sources. Full story >
Makenna and Melissa Schwab – Wenatchee, Washington: Makenna Schwab, 12, was born with a rare connective tissue disorder that causes bone dislocations and affects her airway, spine and joints. For Make A Difference Day, Makenna challenged her community to donate Red Flyer wagons to Seattle Children’s Hospital. (“They’re less scary than wheelchairs” for young patients, Makenna explains.) She collected 33 wagons, more than 1,300 toys and toiletries, 36 portable DVD players, five baby swings, $280 in gift cards and $674 in cash donations. Full story >
Free Bikes 4 Kidz – Minneapolis: In south Minneapolis, Free Bikes 4 Kidz collects donated bikes, cleans and repairs them, and gives them to families who can’t afford them. On Make A Difference Day, the group worked with Burroughs Elementary School to put kids in charge of a bike donation event. More than 30 children collected and cleaned 150 bikes. Full story >
Joshua’s Heart Foundation volunteers in Miami distributed groceries to more than 500 families in need.
Joshua Williams – Miami: High school freshman Joshua Williams’ nonprofit organization, Joshua’s Heart Foundation, secured sponsors, a truck and about 60 volunteers to distribute groceries to more than 500 families in need. Full story >
Meals from the Heartland – Des Moines, Iowa: Volunteers produced 100,008 meals – more than 7 tons of food – to feed those in need. The dried meals included a rice mixture, dried vegetables, minerals and a soy protein supplement. Most were sent overseas through the Missouri-based nonprofit Convoy of Hope. Full story >
The Salvation Army – Rochester, New York: Buses took 323 Rochester-area children to department stores. There, 275 volunteers helped each child pick out a winter coat, with costs covered by donations and foundation spending. Full story >
Real Estate Council of Austin – Austin, Texas: Volunteers raised about $150,000 and organized one of the largest volunteer teams ever at SafePlace, which provides shelter and counseling to about 5,000 victims of domestic and sexual abuse annually. In the project, 115 members built a walking trail behind SafePlace’s family shelter, a new playground, a sitting area and granite benches. Full story >
University City, Missouri, volunteers worked on 25 home projects for senior citizens.
Daniel Soupiset – San Angelo, Texas: The efforts of one Texas teen have saved 57 animals from being euthanized. Daniel Soupiset organized an effort to get more pets adopted from San Angelo’s animal shelter. On Make A Difference Day, Daniel set up in front of the shelter with about 15 volunteers to hand out coupons that covered the cost of adopting a pet. For more than a month before that day, Daniel and about 25 volunteers raised more than $4,500 for the project. Full story >
City of University City, Missouri – University City, Missouri: The city worked with Our Lady of Lourdes parish to sign up 150 volunteers for 25 home projects for senior citizens. The city also spent about $3,000 on supplies such as paint, yard waste bags, concrete and new fencing. Full story >
Town of Fountain Hills, Arizona – Fountain Hills, Arizona: About 300 volunteers provided assistance to 67 elderly and infirm residents – doing household repairs and cleaning, painting, landscaping and building fences. Full story >
Delaware County, Ohio – Delaware, Ohio: About 700 volunteers tackled projects ranging from gardening and trimming to decorating for the county’s Halloween events. Senior citizens, who applied for assistance, also received help with home maintenance, furniture moving and other household chores. Full story >
Shaquawana Wester – Cookeville, Tennessee: Quawana’s Coats, organized by single mom of three Shaquawana Wester, involves public schools, nonprofit agencies, churches and the health department. Sixty volunteers organized donated coats, scarves, hats and gloves on Make A Difference Day, helping more than 350 families.
See How This Sixth Grader Is Tackling Child Hunger as a FROG
A grumbling stomach. Headache. Hard time paying attention and focusing. Low energy and motivation. Poor academic performance.
This is hunger. Hunger is here, and it is hurting children.
Childhood hunger is a pressing concern in this country and around the world. In the U.S. alone, nearly 17 million kids are at risk of hunger, which is more than the populations of New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago combined.
This is unacceptable. If our nation’s next generation is going to bed with empty stomachs, then what does mean for our future? The world’s future?
This is how I got involved and what I am doing to make my mark on hunger through service. When I was 7, I founded Friends Reaching Our Goals, FROGs. It’s a kid-run service organization with the mission of inspiring youth to make a positive difference in their community.
Our motto is: “Having Fun While Helping Others.” We design fun events to get kids involved in fighting hunger. These activities range from lemonade stands to laser tag parties to enormous baseball tournaments.
In order to participate in these fun events, kids make a monetary or food donation, which go to the local food bank. The kids have fun while helping others. They learn that there are children just like them in their community that don’t have enough food.
Our mission is to spread the message that hunger doesn’t discriminate. Hunger affects kids of every race, religion and education level.
Kids who are hungry are more likely to become sick, less likely to become productive citizens. Kids who do not have enough nutritious food don’t focus well in school, and their grades can stumble. Proper nutrition is critical to the physical and mental development of a child. It is critical to the future of the child and to the future of our nation.
This is what I am doing, but my challenge is for anyone reading this to step up to the plate and take action. It is simple to make an impact. All you need to do is: See a need, make a plan and change the world! In other words, look for a need or problem and then put your talent and efforts towards making an impact.
Over the last four years, FROGs has provided over 175,000 meals to the hungry, helped pack 50,000 backpacks with food for hungry kids and helped distribute meals to over 10,000 families through the mobile food pantry. Of all FROGs accomplishments, I am most proud of encouraging over 1,000 kids to join the fight against hunger.
Fighting hunger has affected my life and has inspired me to put an end to hunger. FROGs is fighting hunger this spring by participating in the generationOn Make Your Mark on Hunger youth service campaign. For every youth engaged in service March 15 through April 30, The ConAgra Foods Foundation will donate the monetary equivalent of one meal to Feeding America, up to 20,000 meals!
If we all pitch in just a little bit, we can destroy hunger for our country, for our world… for our future.
We all have the ability to make a mark on hunger. Join us! No matter how tall or how small you are, you can make a big difference!
Yearlong Family Road Trip Uncovers the Generosity of Kids
The Webb family of Pasadena, Calif., is spending a year traveling to all 50 states in a trailer, speaking to young people who are tackling problems in their communities. During this project, One Year Road Trip: Generation of Generosity, the family is creating a documentary film to highlight these young innovators. We asked Matt and Eva Webb why they took their kids – Evie, Solveig and Jack, ages 8, 9 and 11, respectively – on the road. Here’s what they told us.
The Webb family – parents Matt and Eva and kids, from left, Jack, Solveig and Evie – stop in Philadelphia during their yearlong road trip. (Webb family photo)
The One Year Road Trip: Generation of Generosity project is a story of beauty from ashes. For us, 2010 was a challenging year. We struggled to keep a healthy work/life balance.
To rebuild, we spent most of 2011 in marriage counseling and by November were back on our feet. At the end of our last session our facilitator asked, “What is one dream you have for your family?” Finally able to dream again, Matt replied, “I’d like to travel the U.S. for a year and visit all 50 states as a family,” to which Eva responded, “What?!”
As kids we were transformed by experiences in Haiti and Mexico serving among the poor with our families, and we wanted to create a transformative experience for our three young children, too. Since Matt is a filmmaker we thought, “Let’s make a documentary about people who are doing lasting, transformational change,” and then, “What if we found kids making change?”
We researched and found kids whose stories had to be given a wider audience. We felt that if we didn’t try, we’d be going against our conscience as a family. So in June 2012 Matt resigned from his full-time job in graduate school administration to focus the next two years on building the One Year Road Trip.
The Webb family interviews Nicholas Lowinger from Gotta Have Sole. (Webb family photo)
It wasn’t hard to get the kids excited about the project. We left our home in September, and five months later – though we miss our community dearly – we’re making new friends around America.
Our support comes in a variety of ways. Our producing team worked tirelessly for a year to prepare us to get on the road. We’re also partnering with the nonprofit arts organization Fractured Atlas, through which we have raised more than $80,000 of our $135,000 budget through tax-deductible donations.
Another foundation, We Encourage, has also supported our project financially and donated more than $10,000 over the past year. While on the road we’re continuing to raise funds, and need only $45,000 to meet our production goal.
On the road many individuals and families have provided meals, a place to park our trailer overnight, access to museums and events that have enriched our experience, and we have made contact with several young change-makers through people we’ve met along the way.
If you doubt that kids can change the world, check out some of the young people we’ve interviewed:
Colorado: Olivea Borden loves to sew and at 12 years old started her business, Oli-Bo-Bolly, selling handmade textiles from recycled materials. When you purchase one of her handmade dolls a second doll is made by women in Nicaragua whom Olivea trained and pays a fair wage, and the doll is given to a child in the community.
Rhode Island: After visiting a homeless shelter and seeing that siblings sometimes share shoes to go to school, Nicholas Lowinger started his nonprofit, Gotta Have Sole. He partners with shoe companies and homeless shelters to provide brand new shoes for children to fit their feet and their specific footwear needs (school, athletics, work, etc.).
Florida: Joshua Williams was turning 5 when he saw a man who was hungry. Josh gave him the $20 he received for his birthday and vowed to help others. Ten years later Joshua’s Heart Foundation provides almost 1 million pounds of food to people in South Florida annually through his team of more than 2,500 volunteers.
These are just three of the dozens of kids we are meeting on the road, all of them using their passions to address huge issues – hunger, homelessness, poverty, bullying and hate, nutrition, health and medicine – creatively and effectively.
Our goal of helping to drive a “Generation of Generosity” begins with sharing the stories of this already growing community of young change-makers in order to inspire others to go out and make the world better.
The brother and sister duo of Cole and Logan Layman, collectively known as In Layman Terms, are a powerful musical force with a bright future ahead of them. And they’re using their talents to help make the world a better place.
From left, Cole and Logan Layman
“For the past seven years,” says 17-year-old Cole, “we have been involved with Kids Care Clubs and generationOn, a global service movement utilizing the power of all youth and encouraging them to make their mark on the world. Under their umbrella, we have started an organization that we call the HArt Squad.”
Cole and Logan describe the HArt Squad (“Hart” stands for Healing Arts) as a group of teenagers with a passion for the arts. They get together to raise the spirits of people with physical, emotional or other challenges through live, interactive music and performance arts. The group also collaborates with other organizations to run projects for people in rehabilitation facilities, shelters, hospitals, nursing homes and other venues.
“It just feels so good to bring smiles to their faces,” says Logan.
Service is highly important to the Layman family, of Williamsburg, Va., where father Doug is a Coast Guard officer and mother Sandra is a special education teacher.
Sandra discovered Kids Care Clubs while searching online for service opportunities for the family.
“I was teaching at a school down the road from our home in Tampa, Fla., at the time,” says Sandra, “Both kids attended the school. We organized a club called Paws for Peace. Cole was 9 and Logan was 6.”
When the military moved the family to the Washington D.C., area, the Laymans started a Kids Care Club at the elementary school they attended in Vienna, Va. Over the years they have used their talents, musical and otherwise, to raise money for a number of causes.
Logan, now 14, has channeled her songwriting abilities into a song, “Won’t Let It,” which deals with a friend’s experiences with cancer. (Watch the video here.)
“Everybody can utilize their strengths and talents to help others,” she says. “Some kids feel powerless, but all you have to do is take that first step and you’ll realize that we can accomplish anything.”
This post is by Tricia Thompson, vice president of training and consulting at Points of Light.
Tricia Thompson
As the chair of volunteers, Marcie Land coordinates, trains and recognizes those who serve with Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society (NMCRS) in San Diego. What’s more – she is a volunteer herself, logging at least 20 hours a week.
Her contributions are significant and far more than the sum total of her hours would suggest. Which is why NMCRS is thinking creatively about the value of Marcie’s and other volunteers’ time.
Most organizations use the Independent Sector rate for the value of volunteer time. It is a useful tool, but it doesn’t tell us what all that volunteer time accomplishes. Service Enterprises – organizations that strategically leverage volunteers to meet their missions – take additional steps to showcase the quantity and quality of what their volunteers offer.
Direct service is one of the most common volunteer contributions. Volunteers often enable an organization to serve more clients or project sites, or deliver more programs than they could with paid staff alone.
For example, a local agency that serves mentally ill clients hosts a monthly celebration where volunteers provide food and visit with clients. NMCRS volunteers provide financial counseling and assistance programs to military families in need. The service is all the more meaningful because it’s delivered by volunteers who choose to be there rather than staff who are paid to be there.
In some cases, programs are only possible with volunteer support. Volunteers who assist police departments may check on homebound seniors or vacationers’ properties and provide an added sense of safety and security that most communities can’t pay for. The NMCRS volunteers who sew baby blankets for military families offer a service that is unlikely to be filled by a paid staff member.
Volunteers also contribute to organizations’ finances. They run fundraising events, request “Dollars for Doers” funds from their employers, and make personal donations and in-kind gifts.
A corporate volunteer group building bikes for kids was so impressed with the cause that employees collected money on the spot so more kids could have bikes. The NMCRS board supports fundraising goals and expands awareness about the need for donations to help support the organization’s important work.
Consider these ways to value volunteer time:
Number of projects, programs and sites that volunteers enable the agency to serve
Number of clients served
Number of volunteers recruited
Number of volunteers supported and/or led
Special services delivered
Dollars and in-kind gifts raised
Dollars and in-kind gifts donated
Legislation introduced or passed
Strategic or operational projects completed
Number of full-time equivalent employees that volunteers represent
The Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society in San Diego is thinking strategically about the ways volunteers make their mission possible. They then use these metrics to share volunteers’ impact with the community, funders, current and prospective volunteers, and their board members.
It adds up to far more than volunteer hours or the Independent Sector rate alone. In fact, it adds up to more military members and families supported in their time of need.
